The Antlers is an American indie rock band based in Brooklyn, New York. The band's songs are written and sung by Peter Silberman. Their music is performed by Silberman, Darby Cicci (trumpet, upright/electric bass, keyboards, synths, vocals) and Michael Lerner (drums). The instrumentation consists of vocals, electric guitar, keyboards/synths, drums and an array of other instruments including piano, horns, strings, and electronic elements.[1] Silberman has said that the band's name is taken from The Microphones' song, "Antlers".

Early history (Uprooted and In The Attic Of The Universe 2006-2007)[edit]

Initially, The Antlers was a solo project created by vocalist and guitarist Peter Silberman immediately after he had moved to Brooklyn, New York City.[2] Silberman's first album, Uprooted, contained nine songs which he wrote and recorded himself. It was self-released in 2006. The follow-up album In the Attic of the Universe was also written and recorded by Silberman. It was released in November 2007 on Fall Records.

After the release of In the Attic of the Universe Silberman recorded two EP's entitled Cold War and New York Hospitals, the latter featuring Michael Lerner and Sharon Van Etten as guests. Shortly thereafter, Michael Lerner and Darby Cicci came on board transforming The Antlers into a collaborative group.

The Antlers’ third full-length album, Hospice, marked the beginning of the project's shift from Silberman's solo project into its full-band incarnation, featuring significant contributions from Lerner and Cicci, as well as guest vocals by Sharon Van Etten.[3] The band self-released the album in March 2009, selling out all of the quantities in stock. They later signed with New York-based label Frenchkiss Records, who released a re-mastered version of Hospice on August 18, 2009.[4] Silberman has described 'Hospice' as the story of an emotionally abusive relationship, told through the analogy of a hospice worker and a terminally-ill patient.[5] The album received critical praise for both its narrative and musicianship, and has since been listed on several "Album of the Year" lists.[6] The artwork for the album was designed by Zan Goodman.

In 2011 The Antlers released their fourth studio album Burst Apart on May 10 through Frenchkiss Records in the United States and on May 9 through Transgressive Records in the UK, Europe and Japan. The album was met with mostly positive reviews from musical publications and was regarded as a successful growth from their previous release ‘Hospice’.[7][8][9] The record received praise from well-regarded publications such as New York Times, The Guardian, Under The Radar, and Pitchfork who gave it the endorsement of their ‘Best New Music’ category. The artwork for Burst Apart was designed by Darby Cicci and Zan Goodman.

On November 22, The Antlers released an EP entitled (together). The 8 song EP consists of remixes, and alternate versions of songs from ‘Burst Apart’. The EP features collaborations with a number of different artists including Bear in Heaven, Neon Indian, and Nicole Atkins. Along with the alternate versions from Burst Apart, the EP also features a cover of The XX's“VCR”, a remix by PVT, and a new song featuring Cicci on vocals. The artwork for this EP was designed by Darby Cicci.

On July 24, 2012, The Antlers released a four-song EP entitled Undersea on ANTI- in the U.S. and Transgressive Records in the UK/Europe. This 4 song EP has been described by the band as an imitation of “the serenity of drifting off to sleep or sinking to the bottom of the ocean.”[10] The record received widespread critical acclaim, with Pitchfork stating that the band's “mutually reliant interplay has never been stronger than it is here.”[11] Darby Cicci designed the artwork for the EP.

The band's 5th full-length studio album entitled Familiars was released on June 17, 2014 via ANTI- in the U.S. and Transgressive in the U.K./Europe. The album was recorded and produced by the band in their Brooklyn based studio, and mixed by Chris Coady. On March 31, 2014, after releasing a cryptic video teaser the week prior, the band announced the release of the nine-track album along with a music video to the album's first single “Palace”. The video was directed by Hana Tajima. Darby Cicci designed the artwork for the album.

Familiars has received rave reviews from publications such as Rolling Stone, who commented that “Familiars finds the Antlers on a new, magnificent level of heavy songwriting.” [12] Many critics alluded to the growth of The Antler's artistic approach on the album. MOJO called the work "another existentially-minded beauty...turning agony into something approaching ecstasy." Loud and Quiet commented on the record's success: "Slow-burning, poised and richly beautiful... The Antlers have been responsible for a handful of the most soul-shifting moments in guitar-based indie rock over the last few years, and this should see the band cement their place in the genre's upper echelons."[13]